Short Summary

With less than a fortnight to go before Christmas, the centre of Nuremberg has come alive with coloured lights, lanterns and decorations as the West German city enjoys its annual Christkindlesmarkt (Christ Child's Market).

Description

With less than a fortnight to go before Christmas, the centre of Nuremberg has come alive with coloured lights, lanterns and decorations as the West German city enjoys its annual Christkindlesmarkt (Christ Child's Market).

The Market, whose history goes back through the centuries, features all the symbols and trappings associated with a traditional Christmas ... nativity scenes, angels, stars, puppets, toys and fantastic displays with fairyland characters. It seems a magical place where wide-eyed excited children can find all their dreams coming to life, as the sound of Christmas carols and the scent of hot gingerbread and grilled sausages fill the night air.

One of the highlights of the four-week pre-Christmas celebrations in the city is the traditional children's lantern march through the streets. The children, bearing home-made lanterns, walk in procession to the ancient city castle where they are told the Christmas story in tableaux and pictures.

But this year, Market organisers have put on a special treat for young and old alike. They have brought together Santa Clauses from nine European nations for the first international summit.

On Friday (12 December) these mystical Christmas present-bringers, each dressed in national Santa Claus costume and accompanied by a collection of weird and wonderful devils and other characters, were presented to the children by Nuremberg's 1975 "Christkind" (Christ-child), 16-year-old Michaela Kraus.

SYNOPSIS: In the West German city of Nuremberg, children have already begun celebrating the coming of Christmas. Last week, they marched through the city centre to the old castle ... to watch the Christmas story unfold in tableaux and pictures. Every child carried a home-made lantern depicting some traditional Christmastide scene or symbol.

It's Christkindesmarkt time in the city -- the Christ Child's Market -- and on Friday, there was a special treat for the children ... a visit from Santa Clauses from nine different countries holding their first international summit in Nuremberg. Accompanied by a collection of weird and wonderful devils, the Santa Clauses -- all dressed in national Santa Claus costumes -- were welcomed to the Market by the 1975 "Christkind" -- Christ-child -- sixteen-year-old Michaela Kraus.

During the four weeks of Christkindesmarkt, the whole of the centre of Nuremberg is given over to celebrations and festivities. It's a tradition which goes back through the ages ... enjoyed as much today as it was centuries ago.